Chapter 16 - The Great Escape
When the water settled and the debris cleared, they realized that it, in fact, was a door. Behind it was a long cavern that they could not see the end of due to the darkness. Vegeta looked at Goku and motioned for them to surface. Goku nodded and they went up. When they got to the surface, Vegeta went to his belt.
"Here, take this," he said as he handed Goku a flashlight.
"Looks pretty far," Goku said.
"Does it look like we have any other choice?" Vegeta snapped angerly at him. Really, Goku wasn't trying to back down. He knew it was the only way out now. He just said it to kind of prepare himself. Sometimes, it just helped to say things verbally.
Goku took a deep breath and submerged. Vegeta glanced back for a second at everything that he had gone through this day. It gave him an uneasy, almost chilling feeling. He almost died here tonight. Worst of all, he would have if Goku hadn't saved his life. It didn't make him feel good at all. He never let anybody save him before. He had always taken care of himself and looked out for himself.
He shook his head to wipe the garbage out of his head and to refocus on the task at hand. He then also took a deep breath and went under.
Goku was down by the cave entrance. When Vegeta got close he entered ahead of him. Vegeta was only a second or 2 behind him. The cave stretched long into the darkness, with no visible end in sight. Sayians were no humans though, they could hold their breath for a significantly longer amount of time than humans, but they still couldn't hold it for ever. Vegeta was worried that this cave would lead to no where, or even a dead end. It was just his pesamistic way of thinking though. He doubted that they would have a huge steel door hide nothing. But the thought was that he would have wasted valuable time, and may not be able to hold his breath back.
The cave turned up ahead. Vegeta had mixed feelings about leaving. He knew he had to escape for his life, both because of the planets impending destruction, and because he was going to be killed by these creatures, but that was what got him. If he wouldn't have had to escape, these things would kill him. Even though he knew this, he never backed down from a fight, but he was now. He kept on trying to tell himself that things were different this time; they out numbered him, they had the element of surprise where every other time he went into a fight prepared, the planet was about to blow, but it didn't help. He was still running for his life, something he has never done before.
When they rounded the turn, Vegeta could see the end of the cave up ahead. For a moment, he felt relief. As they came out of the cave, an orange glow luminated the entire ocean, and it seem strongest toward the shore, which was a sheer cliff. It was still dark and they could tell it was now raining heavily. Every once in a while the orange ocean turned white for a split second from lightning. The water was about 60 feet deep, and the ocean was crashing above them like a monsoon was coming through. The sounds of waves smashing against the cliffs engulfed their ears as they tried to make it to the surface.
Then Vegeta felt something. Something he hadn't felt much on this planet; a strong power, from a living being, coming from several yards behind him. He spun around. Goku heard the water rustle around Vegeta and turned to him. He saw he was looking at something out toward the sea. Then they both saw them. A small school of large sea creatures were swimming toward them. They looked like over sized angler fish with weird making on their sides. Like a shark, they must have smelled the scent of Vegeta's blood from miles away, and had come inland to feast. They made their intentions clear as each grinned in an odd sort of way, exposing their teeth. The Sayians didn't have time to make it to the surface, these creatures were too fast for them. They had to fight.
Vegeta went Super Sayian and went to meet them head on. The school scattered, but 2 continued toward Vegeta. Vegeta met the one that was ahead of the other and gave it a right hook followed by a left uppercut. It went upward, giving Vegeta a clear view of the other. He charged up and throw a blast at it. It nailed the creature in the face. A loud muffled explosion erupted from the creature, and a large red cloud formed around its face as it sank to the ocean floor. Vegeta looked up. He under estimated how strong these creatures really were as the other had already recovered and rammed it's face into Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta felt what little air he had left pour out of his lungs. With the creature still at his gut, he brought both arms above his head, clenched both hands into one fist, and slammed it onto the creature's forehead. Vegeta had been under water for a good 6 minutes now. He had to get air. He started once again for the surface.
That was when Vegeta heard Goku yelling. He had already dispatched 2 of the creatures himself, but he was yelling to get Vegeta's attention, not in victory. Vegeta looked over. Goku was franticly pointing at the cave entrance. He looked back down. He would have yelled in anger if he had the O2 in him as he saw 5 or 6 demons swarm out of the cave. They did not seem to notice the fighting; it was more like they were trying to get as far away from there as they could. There is now way they could have known about the countdown. Or maybe Goku was right and they were one of the last ones to be evacuating from the explosion earlier. He didn't have time for them now, he needed to get air. He noticed the creature was coming at him again. He made short work of it as he cut it in half with a shot. He continued upward, toward the orange glow.
He was right there. A foot away from sweet tasting air. His finger tips poked through to the surface and he felt a sense of coolness around them. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to breathe as something wrapped around his right ankle and drag him downward.
He looked down to see what was dragging him down. To his amazement, it was a demon. Those things must have been faster in water than the creatures for it to come all the way from the cave where it was and capture him. Vegeta didn't waste time, he needed to get rid of this thing long enough to get air. He kicked it in the forehead repeatedly, which shot great pain through out him for that was the leg he had injured. The demon took several hit and scream at him as its grip sid off. Vegeta charged a shot, but the demon moved out of the way as the shot came near. Vegeta again tried to make it back up. He was starting to feel a little drowsy, and was having a feeling that he could start breathing again. He knew he couldn't and kept his mouth shut. Once again, however, the demon pulled him back down. He tucked his knees under, rolled forward, a punched it hard in the chest. The demon flew backwards. Vegeta began to charge another shot But the demon already recovered, turned around, and was swimming straight towards Vegeta's face. He didn't know if he could finish the charge before the demon came close enough to strike. The lack of oxygen was getting to him. He should have moved, but he didn't, he continued to charge. It didn't swim like most bipedal creatures, where they use their arms and legs to move. It swam in a verticle "S" wave, with its arms and legs closed tightly like a torpedo. The demon was only a matter of feet away from his face when it opened its mouth and showed its fangs. Vegeta couldn't move, the charge was almost done. It opened its mouth wide just inches in front of Vegeta's face, ready to sink both sets of teeth into his skull, when it was rammed from its left side and split in half. A green cloud formed in front of Vegeta and was trailing to his left. Vegeta suddenly woke up and snapped backward. He then saw that one of the sea creatures inadvertently saved his life As it gobbled up the demon's torso. It then began to swing around to the right. Vegeta knew it was coming back for him. Then, the creature started thrashing its head left and right. A dark red cloud was forming around its mouth and then from parts of its head. Bits and pieces of bone and flesh were peeling off of the creature face as the red cloud got thicker and thicker, soon engulfing its entire face. It then stopped thrashing and was only drifting towards him. The cloud slightly dissipated, and Vegeta could see the flesh had been stripped from its skull as it drifted by him.
Vegeta, with out thinking, started swimming upward franticly. He needed air; he could feel himself falling asleep. He broke surface facing away from the cliffs. With out looking, he inhaled everything he could, only he felt water pour into his lungs. Just as he had inhaled, a wave broke right on his face. He sank bellow. He was now curled in the fetal position, coughing violently, trying to get the water out as the waves tumbled him back and forth. He slowly started to die. He was now completely disoriented. He didn't know if he was verticle or horizontal, which way was up or down, or even how deep he was. He had a feeling that he was wrapped in a blanket, lying on his bed back home, feeling warm and quiet comfortable. There was a part of him however that knew this was a lie. He needed a a symbol, something that he knew would lead him in the right direction. Some how he remembered the color orange. That was the only thing in his mind, orange. He had to find it. He then saw another color in front of his face, but it wasn't orange, it was red. He had begun bleeding from his nose and mouth. With what last strength he had, he thrashed his body in every direction, then he found it. Orange. He swam towards it like a dead man runs into the light. He came to it sooner than he thought and opened his mouth widely as air rushed inward. He then began heaving violently again, spewing out a mix of water and blood. He was really only 3 feet under the whole time. When his attack turned into a random cough, he looked up. Rain was turenchal, lightning was rampant, and the sea were tossing like the wrath of God; but what got him was the prison. The entire complex was engulfed in flames, and still parts of it were exploding. Vegeta wondered why the entire complex hadn't caved it. Then he wondered if they really could have blasted out of there.
He felt something on his left shoulder, and he swung around with his right fist. He then felt himself spun around and his arm pinned behind his back. There was only one person alive that could do that to him.
"Easy, Easy."
"Get the fuck off me!!!"
"Ok, chill," Goku said as he let Vegeta go. "How much time do you think we have left?"
"Not enough to wade around here and talk," Vegeta said. He imeadiately jetted off. Goku followed. He looked over to the prison in amazement as rain fell onto his face.
"They did that!?" he said, not believing that they did that and the core didn't completely rupture instead of just the cooling units.
"Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer." Vegeta said in a non-angary tone. They were silent the rest of the way to the ship. When they landed, they ran straight in. Goku got in first. Vegeta limped over, took one step in, and paused. He then looked towards the prison. He only felt one thing, regret. Regret that so many questions were un answered. Regret that Goku saved his life for the first time. Regret that he could not meet the Sayian, Dubuita. Regret that he had to retreat. Regret that he could not defeat his greatest adversary that night, the alien queen. And most of all, regret that he, for the first time, felt fear. However, unlike most people he met in his life, like the prison guard in the bathroom, he had fought to over come that fear. He knew it in his heart, even though he was scared, he would go back in there and kill every last demon alive if the planet wasn't about to explode. In the end, he figure that fear does not make you a coward, it's all about how you deal with it.
Goku put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder and said in an almost soothing voice, "Come on, lets get outta here."
He looked Vegeta straight in the eye, and gave one last look at the prison.He then entered the ship.
Goku looked around and saw a red liquid all over the place.
"What is that?"
"My blood." Vegeta said as he sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Goku felt a cold wind as goose bumps ran up him. He had no idea Vegeta had survived an attack like this. Goku tried to change the subject as he started the ship up.
"So, what is that notebook on your belt?"
Vegeta took the journal from his belt and looked at it for a second. "It's a journal from the head director of the prison." He didn't say she was a Sayian coz he didn't feel like getting into a long conversation.
"What did it say?"
"When and how those things got in there."
"Really? You're gonna have to let me look at it on the way back."
"It also tells you what they named them."
"What's that?"
"Xenomorph."
"Huh? That's Latin!"
"Latin?"
"It's an ancient earth language that was the root for most other languages there."
"What does it mean."
"It's really 2 words put together. Literally it means something like "Foreign creature", but I have read ancient stories where that has meant 'The creature of God.'...I didn't know they spoke an Earth language out here. Kinda makes you think, don't it?"
Vegeta only thought for a second why he wasn't considered a xenomorph.
"So, I guess that's it then," Goku said. Vegeta just sat there, arms crossed, staring blank at the control panel, saying nothing.
"Well, here we go." Goku hit the ignition. The ship rumbled to life. Soon, they were off the ground and heading toward space.
A red light started beeping.
"Aw damnit," Goku said.
"What's wrong?"
"Something's jamming the atmospheric flaps. We can't leave the planet with out them. I gotta go check it out. Can I trust you to circle the planet until I get back?"
Vegeta only shot him an angary look as he picked up his control stick.
Goku jumped out the airlock. They were going faster than he thought as the air rushed around him, almost literally beating him down. He check the side of the ship he was on. Everything was fine there. He went around to the other side around the top.
"Oh my gosh..."
The alien queen was scaling the other side of the ship.
When the water settled and the debris cleared, they realized that it, in fact, was a door. Behind it was a long cavern that they could not see the end of due to the darkness. Vegeta looked at Goku and motioned for them to surface. Goku nodded and they went up. When they got to the surface, Vegeta went to his belt.
"Here, take this," he said as he handed Goku a flashlight.
"Looks pretty far," Goku said.
"Does it look like we have any other choice?" Vegeta snapped angerly at him. Really, Goku wasn't trying to back down. He knew it was the only way out now. He just said it to kind of prepare himself. Sometimes, it just helped to say things verbally.
Goku took a deep breath and submerged. Vegeta glanced back for a second at everything that he had gone through this day. It gave him an uneasy, almost chilling feeling. He almost died here tonight. Worst of all, he would have if Goku hadn't saved his life. It didn't make him feel good at all. He never let anybody save him before. He had always taken care of himself and looked out for himself.
He shook his head to wipe the garbage out of his head and to refocus on the task at hand. He then also took a deep breath and went under.
Goku was down by the cave entrance. When Vegeta got close he entered ahead of him. Vegeta was only a second or 2 behind him. The cave stretched long into the darkness, with no visible end in sight. Sayians were no humans though, they could hold their breath for a significantly longer amount of time than humans, but they still couldn't hold it for ever. Vegeta was worried that this cave would lead to no where, or even a dead end. It was just his pesamistic way of thinking though. He doubted that they would have a huge steel door hide nothing. But the thought was that he would have wasted valuable time, and may not be able to hold his breath back.
The cave turned up ahead. Vegeta had mixed feelings about leaving. He knew he had to escape for his life, both because of the planets impending destruction, and because he was going to be killed by these creatures, but that was what got him. If he wouldn't have had to escape, these things would kill him. Even though he knew this, he never backed down from a fight, but he was now. He kept on trying to tell himself that things were different this time; they out numbered him, they had the element of surprise where every other time he went into a fight prepared, the planet was about to blow, but it didn't help. He was still running for his life, something he has never done before.
When they rounded the turn, Vegeta could see the end of the cave up ahead. For a moment, he felt relief. As they came out of the cave, an orange glow luminated the entire ocean, and it seem strongest toward the shore, which was a sheer cliff. It was still dark and they could tell it was now raining heavily. Every once in a while the orange ocean turned white for a split second from lightning. The water was about 60 feet deep, and the ocean was crashing above them like a monsoon was coming through. The sounds of waves smashing against the cliffs engulfed their ears as they tried to make it to the surface.
Then Vegeta felt something. Something he hadn't felt much on this planet; a strong power, from a living being, coming from several yards behind him. He spun around. Goku heard the water rustle around Vegeta and turned to him. He saw he was looking at something out toward the sea. Then they both saw them. A small school of large sea creatures were swimming toward them. They looked like over sized angler fish with weird making on their sides. Like a shark, they must have smelled the scent of Vegeta's blood from miles away, and had come inland to feast. They made their intentions clear as each grinned in an odd sort of way, exposing their teeth. The Sayians didn't have time to make it to the surface, these creatures were too fast for them. They had to fight.
Vegeta went Super Sayian and went to meet them head on. The school scattered, but 2 continued toward Vegeta. Vegeta met the one that was ahead of the other and gave it a right hook followed by a left uppercut. It went upward, giving Vegeta a clear view of the other. He charged up and throw a blast at it. It nailed the creature in the face. A loud muffled explosion erupted from the creature, and a large red cloud formed around its face as it sank to the ocean floor. Vegeta looked up. He under estimated how strong these creatures really were as the other had already recovered and rammed it's face into Vegeta's stomach. Vegeta felt what little air he had left pour out of his lungs. With the creature still at his gut, he brought both arms above his head, clenched both hands into one fist, and slammed it onto the creature's forehead. Vegeta had been under water for a good 6 minutes now. He had to get air. He started once again for the surface.
That was when Vegeta heard Goku yelling. He had already dispatched 2 of the creatures himself, but he was yelling to get Vegeta's attention, not in victory. Vegeta looked over. Goku was franticly pointing at the cave entrance. He looked back down. He would have yelled in anger if he had the O2 in him as he saw 5 or 6 demons swarm out of the cave. They did not seem to notice the fighting; it was more like they were trying to get as far away from there as they could. There is now way they could have known about the countdown. Or maybe Goku was right and they were one of the last ones to be evacuating from the explosion earlier. He didn't have time for them now, he needed to get air. He noticed the creature was coming at him again. He made short work of it as he cut it in half with a shot. He continued upward, toward the orange glow.
He was right there. A foot away from sweet tasting air. His finger tips poked through to the surface and he felt a sense of coolness around them. Unfortunately, he didn't have the chance to breathe as something wrapped around his right ankle and drag him downward.
He looked down to see what was dragging him down. To his amazement, it was a demon. Those things must have been faster in water than the creatures for it to come all the way from the cave where it was and capture him. Vegeta didn't waste time, he needed to get rid of this thing long enough to get air. He kicked it in the forehead repeatedly, which shot great pain through out him for that was the leg he had injured. The demon took several hit and scream at him as its grip sid off. Vegeta charged a shot, but the demon moved out of the way as the shot came near. Vegeta again tried to make it back up. He was starting to feel a little drowsy, and was having a feeling that he could start breathing again. He knew he couldn't and kept his mouth shut. Once again, however, the demon pulled him back down. He tucked his knees under, rolled forward, a punched it hard in the chest. The demon flew backwards. Vegeta began to charge another shot But the demon already recovered, turned around, and was swimming straight towards Vegeta's face. He didn't know if he could finish the charge before the demon came close enough to strike. The lack of oxygen was getting to him. He should have moved, but he didn't, he continued to charge. It didn't swim like most bipedal creatures, where they use their arms and legs to move. It swam in a verticle "S" wave, with its arms and legs closed tightly like a torpedo. The demon was only a matter of feet away from his face when it opened its mouth and showed its fangs. Vegeta couldn't move, the charge was almost done. It opened its mouth wide just inches in front of Vegeta's face, ready to sink both sets of teeth into his skull, when it was rammed from its left side and split in half. A green cloud formed in front of Vegeta and was trailing to his left. Vegeta suddenly woke up and snapped backward. He then saw that one of the sea creatures inadvertently saved his life As it gobbled up the demon's torso. It then began to swing around to the right. Vegeta knew it was coming back for him. Then, the creature started thrashing its head left and right. A dark red cloud was forming around its mouth and then from parts of its head. Bits and pieces of bone and flesh were peeling off of the creature face as the red cloud got thicker and thicker, soon engulfing its entire face. It then stopped thrashing and was only drifting towards him. The cloud slightly dissipated, and Vegeta could see the flesh had been stripped from its skull as it drifted by him.
Vegeta, with out thinking, started swimming upward franticly. He needed air; he could feel himself falling asleep. He broke surface facing away from the cliffs. With out looking, he inhaled everything he could, only he felt water pour into his lungs. Just as he had inhaled, a wave broke right on his face. He sank bellow. He was now curled in the fetal position, coughing violently, trying to get the water out as the waves tumbled him back and forth. He slowly started to die. He was now completely disoriented. He didn't know if he was verticle or horizontal, which way was up or down, or even how deep he was. He had a feeling that he was wrapped in a blanket, lying on his bed back home, feeling warm and quiet comfortable. There was a part of him however that knew this was a lie. He needed a a symbol, something that he knew would lead him in the right direction. Some how he remembered the color orange. That was the only thing in his mind, orange. He had to find it. He then saw another color in front of his face, but it wasn't orange, it was red. He had begun bleeding from his nose and mouth. With what last strength he had, he thrashed his body in every direction, then he found it. Orange. He swam towards it like a dead man runs into the light. He came to it sooner than he thought and opened his mouth widely as air rushed inward. He then began heaving violently again, spewing out a mix of water and blood. He was really only 3 feet under the whole time. When his attack turned into a random cough, he looked up. Rain was turenchal, lightning was rampant, and the sea were tossing like the wrath of God; but what got him was the prison. The entire complex was engulfed in flames, and still parts of it were exploding. Vegeta wondered why the entire complex hadn't caved it. Then he wondered if they really could have blasted out of there.
He felt something on his left shoulder, and he swung around with his right fist. He then felt himself spun around and his arm pinned behind his back. There was only one person alive that could do that to him.
"Easy, Easy."
"Get the fuck off me!!!"
"Ok, chill," Goku said as he let Vegeta go. "How much time do you think we have left?"
"Not enough to wade around here and talk," Vegeta said. He imeadiately jetted off. Goku followed. He looked over to the prison in amazement as rain fell onto his face.
"They did that!?" he said, not believing that they did that and the core didn't completely rupture instead of just the cooling units.
"Don't ask questions to which you already know the answer." Vegeta said in a non-angary tone. They were silent the rest of the way to the ship. When they landed, they ran straight in. Goku got in first. Vegeta limped over, took one step in, and paused. He then looked towards the prison. He only felt one thing, regret. Regret that so many questions were un answered. Regret that Goku saved his life for the first time. Regret that he could not meet the Sayian, Dubuita. Regret that he had to retreat. Regret that he could not defeat his greatest adversary that night, the alien queen. And most of all, regret that he, for the first time, felt fear. However, unlike most people he met in his life, like the prison guard in the bathroom, he had fought to over come that fear. He knew it in his heart, even though he was scared, he would go back in there and kill every last demon alive if the planet wasn't about to explode. In the end, he figure that fear does not make you a coward, it's all about how you deal with it.
Goku put his hand on Vegeta's shoulder and said in an almost soothing voice, "Come on, lets get outta here."
He looked Vegeta straight in the eye, and gave one last look at the prison.He then entered the ship.
Goku looked around and saw a red liquid all over the place.
"What is that?"
"My blood." Vegeta said as he sat down in the co-pilot's seat. Goku felt a cold wind as goose bumps ran up him. He had no idea Vegeta had survived an attack like this. Goku tried to change the subject as he started the ship up.
"So, what is that notebook on your belt?"
Vegeta took the journal from his belt and looked at it for a second. "It's a journal from the head director of the prison." He didn't say she was a Sayian coz he didn't feel like getting into a long conversation.
"What did it say?"
"When and how those things got in there."
"Really? You're gonna have to let me look at it on the way back."
"It also tells you what they named them."
"What's that?"
"Xenomorph."
"Huh? That's Latin!"
"Latin?"
"It's an ancient earth language that was the root for most other languages there."
"What does it mean."
"It's really 2 words put together. Literally it means something like "Foreign creature", but I have read ancient stories where that has meant 'The creature of God.'...I didn't know they spoke an Earth language out here. Kinda makes you think, don't it?"
Vegeta only thought for a second why he wasn't considered a xenomorph.
"So, I guess that's it then," Goku said. Vegeta just sat there, arms crossed, staring blank at the control panel, saying nothing.
"Well, here we go." Goku hit the ignition. The ship rumbled to life. Soon, they were off the ground and heading toward space.
A red light started beeping.
"Aw damnit," Goku said.
"What's wrong?"
"Something's jamming the atmospheric flaps. We can't leave the planet with out them. I gotta go check it out. Can I trust you to circle the planet until I get back?"
Vegeta only shot him an angary look as he picked up his control stick.
Goku jumped out the airlock. They were going faster than he thought as the air rushed around him, almost literally beating him down. He check the side of the ship he was on. Everything was fine there. He went around to the other side around the top.
"Oh my gosh..."
The alien queen was scaling the other side of the ship.